ROCKTON — Asked why he took up the two-handed style of bowling as a Hononegah student-athlete, Caleb Dirkx has an honest answer.
“When I first got into the sport, I didn’t know what I was doing,” Dirkx said with a grin. “A couple of my friends were bowling two-handed so I tried it and found it to be easier and quicker to learn.”
With some practice, he turned out to be not only good enough to land a regular spot on the varsity team, but earn a shot at a collegiate career as well. Thursday during a ceremony on campus, he announced he would follow the pipeline to Rock Valley College where Hononegah grad Tony Hall has assembled a junior college powerhouse.
Dirkx went from around a 170-pin average bowler as a sophomore to averaging 229 as a senior.
“He’s only bowled three years,” head coach Brad Sommer said. “Caleb’s really going to be missed. We could always count on him to be a leader and a hard worker. He’s also a good student. Rock Valley is getting the total package.”:
Dirkx said his friend Joshua Lawrence originally talked him into going out for the team and he needed some time to develop as a bowler before he could break into the lineup.
“As I improved, the coaches began spending more time with me,” he said. “Going into my junior year, I spent a lot of time at the bowling alley outside of practice on my own. Consistency comes with putting in that time.”
While he wasn’t a regular during last year’s run to state and nationals, he ranks that as perhaps the highlight of his time on the team.
“That’s a favorite memory, state last year,” he said. “We had a really good team. I wasn’t a starter so there wasn’t as much pressure on me so it was just really enjoyable. Then nationals a few months after that were fun, too.”
As a senior, he helped Hononegah win the Freeport Regional, averaging a team second-best 210.3, trailing only individual champ Charlie Hunt, who averaged 224.83. That same pair led Hononegah in the Rockford Jefferson Sectional, where sixth-place Hononegah qualified for state.
The Indians were ninth at the IHSA State Tournament at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon. Hunt did win the individual title and he, too, is headed to Rock Valley. Dirkx and Hunt will join Christian Bauer and Logan Moore, both recent Hononegah grads on the squad.
“The Hononegah and Rock Valley College bowling programs are very connected,” Hall said. “We’ve been around eight years, the first two as a club sport and the past six as an intercollegiate sport. We’ve won four national titles and we’ve had Hononegah bowlers on all our teams every year.”
The fact he already is well acquainted with so many teammates was a factor in his decision to bowl for the Golden Eagles.
“I decided to bowl in college over the past couple of months,” Dirkx said. “I bowled with those (Hononegah) teammates and I want to follow in their footsteps.”
Dirkx knows it will be a challenge. The oil pattern used in collegiate bowling is more difficult than what the Indians see on a steady basis. He said he’ll bring an arsenal of bowling balls to address any issues.
“I have probably 10 or so, but I think you’re only allowed six,” he said.
Dirkx said at Rock Valley he plans on studying automotive and applied science with the hopes of becoming a mechanic.
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